Spring assembly for upholstery and mattresses



NOV. 7, 1933. SUEKQFF 1,934,153

SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPHOLSTERY AND MATTRESSES Filed July 14, 1930 Patented' Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPHOLSTERY AND MATTRESSES Application July 14, 1930. Serial No. 467,692

2 Claims.

This invention relates to spring assemblies for upholstery and mattresses and has for its main object to provide a cheap structure of this character consisting of a small number of large diameter springs which may be in part spaced from each other while still presenting ample support for the padwalls to prevent sagging thereof into the openings alforded by the supporting faces of the assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spring assembly composed of untied springs instead of the tied variety, and in so associating coupling means with said springs as to cause loose ends of the latter to be utilized to afford support to the pads of the completed upholstery structure.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a spring assembly constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. l. I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the end coil of one of the component springs of the structure.

The structure comprises a plurality of rows of upholstery springs 1, each provided with end coils of larger diameter than the intermediate spiro-helical coils, said end coils being bent to substantially circular form concentric with the longitudinal axis of the spring and disposed in planes perpendicular to the said longitudinal axis.

Each end coil terminates in an inwardly vanishing spiral formation 2 which begins at the point 3 of closure of the circle formed by said end coil, the extremity of the formation 2 being disposed substantially at the center of said circle or at the longitudinal axis of the spring. Said formation 2 thus constitutes a supporting formation coacting with the substantially circular end coil with which it is integral, to support the pad of the completed cushion or mattress structure.

The springs 1 of a row are disposed so that the closure points 3 of the circular end coils thereof are all disposed in a vertical plane parallel with the vertical plane of the axes of all springs in said row. The springs of each row are preferably spaced from each other.

In the instance illustrated, the closure points 3 of the springs of each row are disposed in vertical planes to the right of and parallel with the vertical planes common to the axes of all springs in the row. Thus all the closure points 3 ofthe end coils of springs l of one row will be opposed to points in the end coils of springs 1 of the next adjacent row which are diametrically opposed to the closure points 3 so that when the springs of one row are moved into contact with those of the next adjacent row, there are three wires in contact at each closure point 3.

Helical coupling wires or springs 4 are then interlaced or intertwined with the end coils of contiguous rows of springs 1 as shown and serve to firmly join said rows and also to maintain the springs of each row in spaced relation to each other. Said members 4 are very flexible and permit a very free relative canting movement of the end coils of the springs 1 under the influence of load.

A helical border wire or spring 5 is engaged with the outermost portions of the end coils of the springs 1 in a manner well-known in the art.

The novel feature of the present invention lies in the provision and utilization of the terminal formations 2 for affording support for a cushion or mattress pad within the area defined by the circular end coil with which said formation 2 is integral. This affords advantage in that far larger diameter springs 1 may be used in the manufacture of spring assemblies than would otherwise be possible. Thus, for example, in a seat cushion assembly twenty-five inches wide by twenty-five inches long, each row of springs comprises for example, four of said springs having end coils five inches in diameter, said springs being spaced about one and onethird inches apart. Five rows of said springs would afford the length of twenty-five inches, so that a total of twenty springs l is comprised in the structure. 95

In the absence of the members 2, the end coils of the component springs would be required to be of very appreciably smaller diameter and thus a correspondingly larger number of springs required to make up the assembly, thus appreciably increasing its Weight and cost.

As the pad is mainly supported upon the circular end coil formations of the springs l, the formations 2 of the latter may be aptly termed auxiliary pad supporting means.

As shown in Fig. 3, the formations 2 of the end coils of the springs are normally positioned so that their extremities are spaced from the longitudinal axes of the springs, said end coils being fiexed by the wires or springs 4 and 5 to cause said formations to become positioned as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and in full lines in Fig. 1.

While I have, in the foregoing pages, described the invention as relating to spring assemblies, it will be obvious that as hereinbefore stated, the essentially novel feature of the structure resides in utilizing springs of an entirely novel type so that the invention may be said to reside more particularly in the springs 1 per se than in an assembly composed of said springs and coupling means.

It will be obvious that the springs 1 are particularly adapted for incorporation in spring assemblies such as are illustrated in the Letters Patent granted to me on April 22, 1930, Nos. 1,755,713 and 1,755,715, wherein the fabric pockets receiving the end coils of said springs serve to maintain the latter in spaced relation to each other.

I claim as my invention:

1. -A spring assembly comprising a plurality of parallel rows of upholstery springs disposed contiguously to each other, each of the said springs of each row having end coils terminating in inwardly projecting loop formations and being normally disposed to cause said loop formations to overly the next adjacent coils to said end coils with the outer portions of said loop formations projecting outwardly from the immediately underlying portions of the next adjacent coils of the spring, said springs relatively arranged in rows extending transversely of the first-mentioned rows thereof with the outermost portions of the end coils of each spring of each of the last-mentioned rows normally overhanging a contiguous spring in said row, and continuous coupling means extending parallel with the first-mentioned rows of said springs and each of said coupling means engaging the said end coils of the springs of two of the said contiguous rows of the latter and the coil of one of each of the said springs next adjacent its end coil for joining the same with its-end coil at the junction of the main portion of the end coil with the terminal loop formation thereof, thereby causing said last-named end coil to be flexed into position substantially flush with the contiguous part of the next adjacent coil of the spring of which it forms a part when the springs of adjacent rows are coupled and causing said coupling means to embrace portions of three loops each of the several pairs of springs contained in two contiguous rows of springs of the first-mentioned rows of the latter.

2. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of spaced apart rows of upholstery springs, said rows extending transversely of the area of the completed assembly and said springs being also disposed in rows extending longitudinally of the said area, each of the said springs having end coils terminating in inwardly projecting spiral loop formations and said end coils-being normally disposed to cause said loop formations to project in part outwardly from their normal positions, said springs relatively arranged in said first-named rows so that said loop formations of successive springs of each of said rows normally project over and partly overlap the next succeeding spring of each row, and helical wire coupling strands extending transversely of the firstnamed rows of said springs and axially between the second-named rows thereof and each of said strands embracing the outermost portion of each of the loop formations of the several springs of one of the second named rows and a portion of an end coil of each of the springs of the next adjacent second-named row and a portion of the next inner coil of each spring underlying the said loop formation thereof as the end coil of the latter is flexed into ultimate position, thereby causing each strand to embrace portions of three coils of two contiguous springs of each of the first-named rows and maintain the end coils flexed to cause the said loop formations thereof to remain permanently disposed within the normal areas of the end portions of the component springs of the assembly.

LOUIS A. SUEKOFF. 

